Ministers Call for Change to Controversial Nation-State Law

By Zalman Ahnsaf

YERUSHALAYIM – The disclosure on Sunday of the death of a Druze officer in a 2018 covert operation in Gaza prompted calls for a change in the Israeli Nation-State Law, which had been criticized by the Druze community and others for allegedly violating the principle of equality.

Lt.-Col. Mahmoud Kheir al-Din, from the Druze town of Hurfeish in the north, was killed on November 11, 2018, by friendly fire during a battle with Hamas gunmen while carrying out a special operation in the Gaza Strip.

Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman declared that “there is a clear contradiction between the Nation-State Law in its current version and all the words of praise for the hero of Israel, the late Lt.-Col. Mahmoud Kheir al-Din, and many other good people who fell while serving the state.”

“This is an opportunity to amend the Nation-State Law and establish the Declaration of Independence as a Basic Law,” added the finance minister. “I call on both the opposition and the coalition to recalculate the path and instead of settling for words like ‘brothers in arms’ to Druze society, to do what is necessary.”

The Basic Law: Israel – The nation-state of the Jewish people was approved by the Knesset in July 2018. It stipulates that “The state of Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, in which it fulfills its natural, religious, and historic right to self-determination” and “The fulfillment of the right of national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people.”

The Druze have been loyal to the state of Israel and long served in its security forces.

The law engendered bitter controversy, as it does not explicitly guarantee the equality of all Israeli citizens, especially minorities like the Druze, although its defenders pointed that the principle of equality is provided for elsewhere in Israeli law.

The High Court upheld the Nation-State Law last year, saying that any ruling on its content was beyond its jurisdiction.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid backed Liberman, saying, “I agree with every word.”

MKs from the Blue and White party also said they supported a change.

The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee will convene in the coming days to discuss amending the law.

However, the actual prospects of revising the law are low, given the opposition of the right-wing Yamina and New Hope parties.